The Intertwined Network of Human Fortunes

 

Sekar made a living by delivering gas cylinders to local residents. Not the most glamourous or casual of tasks to do. Lifting 15kg cylinders to the ultra convenient sms booking of residents, who make their payments online or through UPI. Imagine doing all the work and not seeing the results of it in person. Atleast, collecting the cash in hand might provide some gratification but these days, thanks to invisible currency, no one actually sees the money we deal with. As he entered the premises of Shri Rama Vilas , he bit his lip as it was a 3 storied building and he had to take the stairs. Just when he mustered strength from the morning tiffin he had, his eyes caught the elevator concealed by the side. Like an oasis sighting in the desert, his heart thanked the residents for their prosperity, as the arduous climbing up the stairs with the cylinder was averted and he delivered the cylinder with less physical strain. 

If you read into the above passage, it is not just describing a mundane day from yet another bourgeois neighborhood. A whole life truth is embedded in this. You see, sekar, by luck or fate, was working in a very tough job with not much earnings, but he was thankful for the blessings of more fortunate people to whom he was serving. Life has an extremely complex logic of balancing each of our strengths and weaknesses. If today, I am not able to do something, there must be one of you out there in my path, who can do it for me. It is not mandate that I am to do all that is IN my life. My void is your opportunity to show you exist, through your ability to do something that I can't.  Average people know themselves as average only because there are people Better than them and vice versa. You never know how blessed you are by the divine, unless you actually see someone less fortunate themselves. Our weaknesses, define who we are , as much our capabilities. There is no reason to feel proud or ashamed by something we have or can do . 

Sumathi, wife of Sekar, works in the same neighborhood as a house help.  She travels by foot, to all the houses, a strict military routine from 9.00 am to 1.30 pm , washing utensils, sweeping and cleaning homes. Not everyone have the "humane" software activated in them, though all of us are installed with it. Some people, out of their condescending superior ignorance, treat the postmans, delivery guys, house helps like a doormat , earning all their collective scorn , all of which pile up their negative karma. Some days, sumathi gets to do extra work, at the request of the owners and she endures it all. One such house was Mr Imranullah's. Imran Bhai's wife had recently passed away and he was still recovering from the loss. Before she passed, Zaffrin, his wife had given some sarees, bindis etc from her wardrobe out of good will. One of these was a saree which she had tried once, didn't suit her and she gave it to Sumathi. That day, Sumathi wore this saree to work and when Imran bhai saw her that day, he was petrified by the reminder. His heart melted, by the memory of it and he decided to feed Sumathi for that day's lunch. She declined it politely as her kids themselves were waiting for her at their place and she settled for a nice steaming cup of badam milk. Imran bhai's loss , evoked the kindness in him to treat Sumathi for the physical labor she was performing and she mentally blessed the household , praying for their continued welfare.  

Naveen and Praveen, the kids of the Sekar-Sumathi couple, were in their formative education and Naveen being the elder took care of his younger brother , when his parents were out for work. The pernicious stray thoughts, that tend to steal the innocence of a child needs to be monitored closely, without which, they tend to take root into evil habits and mess up a child's mental ecosystem. One such danger came in the life young Praveen, a 6th standard boy . As they were playing carrom, they suddenly heard strange sounds from a nearby house bedroom and it didn't sound exactly as though someone was in trouble. But there were some strange exclamations and things being dropped when Praveen went to peek in there. One of the adolescent kids was abusing the internet , without closing the windows and just when Praveen could fully see the act, Naveen rushed to him, closed his eyes and tucked him into their house. He asked his brother to wait there, barged into the next house and started bashing the teen left and right for his gross misconduct. He told, how such bad influences can totally rewire young minds into wrong paths and gave that teen an earful. That teen, was shocked at his lapse in attention, ashamed that his indecent habit was outed and pleaded to keep it low , lest the others might know what happened. He thrust him 150/- in Naveen's hand and asked him to shut up. This infuriated Naveen further and he started beating the teen out of disgust, Just then , Sumathi was returning from her day's work , saw the fist fight and dragged Naveen by the ear and scolded him for his Trash behavior. Naveen explained himself, which made Sumathi, embrace him out of gratitude for having raised a gentlemanly kid and they sat down for lunch. She asked him to buy two wafers for his good conduct and their life resumed in the humble one BHK. 

You see, life balances out our mistakes and intelligence  , fortunes and misfortunes, and it is our duty to not be attached to either of the opposites. Nothing really is permanent. Today, if you had done some mistake, obviously there was a lesson meant for someone else as well , and you were probably the primary actor in that incident. But we are never alone in anything. In joy or misery, no one or nothing happens without connecting all our collective karmas / deeds / fates / lifelines. If someone causes pain or injury to you,  you were probably paying for a previous misdeed of yours and they were probably paving the way for their own future misery. Likewise,  if you help someone , out of compassion , there is no room to be proud or beat our chest in our charity as , ultimately, it is because of someone's misfortune or weakness, you derive the pleasure of helping / serving them. 

Never look down on someone, as the higher power is looking down on us all the time and it is just a matter of time, when with a flick of destiny, the tables get turned. If I write well, I need someone out there to read it. If some can read it, they need someone to share it with. We are all so interconnected. In reality, we must be thanking the divine for using us to be off service to each other , and not turn it inwards , growing horns of pride on our heads, at our capacity to do something out of our power. We must look out for each other, in such a way , the giver feels gratitude towards the recipient for having being bestowed with the opportunity to accumulate good karma / deed, and the recipient likewise, should have gratitude towards life for having placed people who can help them in their path.  Every act carries a score , and we must make sure we make the right choices.  We are being watched from within by what's above us , and let us earnestly , sincerely make sure, our live feed which is getting relayed up there , only elevates us and not send us into another round of existence. 

Love all, Serve All.  

I wish each one of you a Blessed year to come and dedicate this humanitarian post marking my 2021 innings in the blog. 

May life be kind to all of us. 

A 14 Hour Train Ride to Indian Dramaville

 

Ravikiran a young man in his late 20s was travelling to his cousins place for a function after a gap of 2 years and he was excited. He shared a interesting relationship with his cousin and was looking forward to do a lot of catching up and what else will stimulate a young guy's energy than some good-ol' headphone music. He was daydreaming when the taxi driver drove into the main Railway station and he could immediately pick up the loud voices of his clan. A group of biggies were also joining him in his train ride and they were all chattering so loudly that he almost pulled down his hoodie to hide his face. But, who was he kidding, he was immensely proud to be a part of a family that stayed together and won the test of time. How many kids these days have enjoyed the love of immediate uncles and aunts? These days youngsters have become more friend-centric and familial love is a rare breed. 

He offered to give a hand for the luggage as the men that were there were senior citizens and he was playing the charming young blood.  But one of the patriarchs blared out that there were too many and it was apt to hire a porter. A 10 minute typical Indian style haggling followed and the porters eventually relented as the collective shouting voice of the family increased by the minute and he caved. Stomp stomp, the typical railway announcements, kids running around , youngsters lost in thought and old men, women dazing around scenes followed. Ravi caught the platform number and before he volunteered to even announce, another uncle blared the message, good enough for the train driver to take notice that he was about to drive a majestic clan of vacation bound crowd pullers.

Walk Walk walk, they reached the platform when the too obvious next course of action followed - head count check and luggage count check. The train's lights appeared to be turned off as the folks arrived early, another senior citizen desi trait. Conversations on itinerary of the trip, dresses being worn , jewelry scan by women were being tossed around as Ravi kept gawking for some female attention. He had his own agenda. He checked himself to see if he wasn't shabby, incase, a chic lass just made way to their compartment. He was doing the "Khaitan Fan" Oscillation movement scouring for equally curious Girl eyes when a strong feminine deo wafted across the air and it was so close, when he turned 180 to find a girl with a trekking bag on her back looking at him. He dropped his mobile in shock, as he hadn't prepared his First Look . She confirmed, if this was indeed that B12 compartment and he nodded spoke a horrible word - first 3 letters in English and last 5 words in his native language. She smiled jokingly as he corrected himself . Eyyy Ravi !! Ravi became alert when one uncle called out his name. The train light's had been switched on and the cliched brouhaha to board the train scene was up. 

Before he could tell the girl, she understandingly nodded smiling as he started showing his upcoming biceps, helping the uncles and acting boyishly responsible for the family. The amount of commotion that followed inside the train almost unhooked the compartment out of the train, as the biggies were boisterously calling out seat numbers in such high tones. A recently married young couple stuck to each other like lizards not to be bothered by this sumo wrestling that was happening, as one uncle came dangerously close to her and considering himself as the Supreme Court advocate, made his case that their berths be swapped as seniors can't climb up. The two didn't waste a moment as they spit out words of agreement that they had already decided to swap berths. The Advocate uncle with a glint of pride in his eyes was allotting berths to the crowd. As ravi was playing bystander, somebody's bag nudged him from behind catching him surprise. It was the Deo girl . She appeared to halt and abruptly sit in the side-lower berth and Ravi panicked as he wasn't aware where he was to himself seat. One of the uncles came and cleared the air, saying he be seated above her , in the side-upper. Ravi's lips almost let go of a glee, as he observed the girl herself smile very ladylike in the reflection in the mirror.

The train started, and he was aimlessly scrolling his mobile, being seated beside her as she herself appeared to be deeply engrossed in her phone. Just when he was about to turn towards to her and he did, one of the aunts came and blurted - "Ravi - Idly Chilly powder or Roti ? No Wait. You eat very well. 3 Idlies and 3 Rotis for you. I myself made the paste for the Roti. Everyone started eating, can I bring the plate for you?". Ravi , a wheat toned dude, actually got mentally red with embarrassment because - his aunt has taken the correct decision of calling him out on his good appetite but in front of this Deo Unnamed Girl. He said, fine as the aunt retraced her steps and Ravi went " So, I hear this reaches late in the morning. It gets colder at night, do you have a blanket with you?". 

The girl declared her name as Sharvanthi and she wasn't worried as she wasn't planning to travel to the final destination. The moment she uttered those words, Ravi relaxed his posture, came out of his "Guarded Boy" mode and resumed a casual dude mien. Guy's instincts. He was like , Who cares to make small talk with her if she not gonna stick around. Thinking so, he covered his mouth as a masala Burp escaped him unexpectedly and he began to cough due to the spice in his throat. He was looking for water, as she volunteered a bottle of cola towards him. To save himself from puking, he gulped a few milliliters and as he was about to thank her, she pronounced those outrageous words. She clarified, that she wasn't originally planning to travel till destination, but her father had booked the tickets till the final destination, thus thwarting her plans. Ravi, just shot her a look of dismay as though he thought " Lady, why you played me like this". They then got talking about where they were going , what was the trip's agenda. Again, the words out of her mouth took him by rude shock and pleasant surprise. She was actually representing the Groom side of the marriage, whilst he was the Bride's. He asked why then she had planned to get down before, as she said another friend needed company but daddy bear wanted her to safely reach with no interim stops. Ravi, now totally off his game due to the see-saw style of Fact telling by Sharvanthi, then began conversing like normal people for a good 30 minutes when one of his clarinet uncles came up and asked him to go to sleep on time as they had a busy day tomorrow and it is tough to sleep in a running train. He was in a fix - obey his uncle and come off as a respectful boy of the family or play it down and act as a cool dude. He decided that, that train had left the station and gave a See-ya ! fist bump to her, as he climbed up the berth. He was about to fall asleep, when he suddenly saw a phone lit up in the darkness. He peeked just enough to see but not too much, as it was a lady below him. He saw a number on her phone. She wasn't calling anyone, it was just a number on the screen when he realized the Act!. 

30 Seconds later, they began chatting big time , as the Train blew it's horn once in  while as Ravi realized he was gonna have a good time in the trip.  Hoot Hoot !!!

My Name is Ayshoo & This Is My Story.

 

I think my name is Ayshooo. Atleast , that's how everyone addresses me 90% of the times. I am not sure really If I have an identity for myself as such.  I for one, have no family at least for now but I think I might become a mother soon, judging by what happened to me recently. The other day two of my neighborhood boys followed me for quite some time and I was very uncomfortable of what they were trying to do. They kept teasing me and It was broad daylight, I couldn't run , fearing they might follow me and it might get aggressive. Another one joined and it was now 3 of them, behind me, doing things to me , I wasn't sure I was even capable of. Their bodies were acting weird, strange things were poking out and they seemed to be focused on doing something to me. No one seemed to care about what was going on and I was plotting how to escape out of this situation. For what's worth, I was so hungry and not in the mood for anything else and I just need a good lick of home cooked curd rice or some crispy biscuits.  

Yes. I am what these two legged creatures, call a dog and I don't have a permanent place to live.

 

Most of the times, I sleep in one place and get up in another, somehow drifting to different places as people call out my name for no reason.  Ayshoooo  . Ayshoooo . Why will someone call you , and not talk to you. All they do to me is, call out my name and I instinctively sprint to a different place from where I was resting. I am  not alone. You won't believe me when I say this, but they have named many of with the same name.  I get so confused when someone is talking to me or someone else. Most of us sprint away due to some weird common inner prompting but some of us hold our ground and talk back. But, it's kind of good that we do that because, I know some of us being hurled at with stones and sticks just for resting peacefully in front of the gate or under a shed. It gets hotter during some days and we are in need of water and shade, so we loiter here and there to eat , but always get addressed by our name.

We do have one favorite place though. There is this person sits on a throne, fully covered with flowers and colorful dresses. In our weekly meetings at evenings, we take turns to decide who gets to rest in this place on certain days at this place. Reason being, the two legged creatures are unbelievably kind to us on one day of the week at this place for some unknown reason. They bring tasty biscuits , flowers and some hard brown stuff which sometimes crazily they break it . Why , I don't know. Through experience we found two other places where this person's form is there and there also our siblings have reported strange kindness and good treatment there.  There is always some group of people around this person's place and we are always treated well in his presence . He is our hero and if something more than that is there, he is that for us. Because, on other days ,we simply get yelled at just for walking . Some of us, do feel some strange unexplained good feelings when we walk or rest in this person's place,  I don't know how to describe, but we feel good and even sometimes forget our hunger. It does some effect. But, anyway, its a luxury to be at this place. 

I used to think these two legged creatures don't really like us until we started seeing some of us in some strange instruments which these creatures sit on. It makes lot of sound and sometimes has 2 or 4 circular things attached to the bottom which allows it to run. Some of our guys come sit and go with the 2 legged creatures and they seem to be immensely happy and not a trace of fear in their eyes.  They get patted and rubbed against with so much of warmth , they all are bigger and their bodies have no wounds and no flies over them. We, however, end up doing stuff to each other especially when some kind soul throws food on the road or place dishes in front of their shelters and there is so much hunger in our world, we end up fighting and biting and scratching each other before a bigger 4 legged creature with two big things on its head chases us away and we don't get to eat. We tried going close to our friends on these instruments but they themselves show a lot of attitude before the person beside them call out our name loudly.  Ayshooo . Ayshoooo. But , unlike them , we get to travel to many places, we don't have anything attached to our bodies and no one cares about us unless we go too near them. 

There are exceptions. One day, I was having this strange itch and my tongue or paw didn't exactly give me the satisfaction of scratching. I was so disturbed. One 2 legged creature came close to me, tore a packet of biscuits and started rubbing me and did something on my forehead. Oh Lord, I felt so relieved. I was so happy, I kind of urinated in a great rush of joy. 

Some nights, some of my friends have told me this person whose place the 2 legged creatures treat us kindly had come and fed them with bread and biscuits. This creature was also 2 legged, had some cloth over its head and wore orange or white dress with some holes in it but showed great love it seems. Apparently, the other 2 legged creatures couldn't see this one and it treated us so well. I hope one day I get to meet this creature and show how thankful we are all to it.  

Another thing about us is, we get to relieve us wherever we want and some of us have got almost killed or hurt for doing this. Where do we go ? We get the urge to relieve at strange times and we immediately do it wherever we are. Is it a fault living a life without disturbing anyone? Oh, as I say this, I think those two boys saw me again. I have often wondered how we are born and how some of us have so much hair, are so white and some are so dark and big. My confusion cleared when one day I saw a similar situation such as mine.  3 boys were behind one girl and suddenly one of the boys pounced on the back of the girl and they started shaking weirdly for sometime . The other two boys waited for sometime and then left . They were doing this for sometime and then got stuck to each other for some minutes. After that went separately as the girl started coming close to me. I was afraid and I started making sounds and showing my teeth. But she seemed not so happy. She slowly came near me, sniffed my face and lied down in front of me. I also got the courage to allow her to rest near , as I licked her face. I thought she was hungry and brought some food near a basket where the 2 legged creatures throw our food. I gave some to her and ate myself and was daydreaming. When Suddenly, I heard someone call my name again and I began to run.   Ay-shooo. Aye-shooo. 

Message from the author: 

Be Kind to Strays. They respond to our love. They don't attack us without reason and their Barks are only out of self defense. You can spot the good from the bad ones, but atleast don't hurt the strays and shower them with human kindness. Not all of us can adopt. Not all of us can have pets. But all of us can be kind to the animals, especially the stray ones. As the Dalai Lama put it - Be kind whenever possible. It's always possible.

Dedicating this post to my Guru, Sai Baba, whose mahasamadhi day was yesterday 15/10. Baba / The Sai Avatar(s) , widely promote and encourage spreading love to one and all and feeding the poor, needy and the animals. All this is invaluable Good Karma. 

Shankar Will Be here in 10 Minutes !

Shruthi made a prank call to her boyfriend Nanda that she will be at his place in 30 minutes. Now, Nanda, from his history of experience with his love-dove knows that if she says its going to be 30 minutes, it will be 45 minutes. Nevertheless , he gets ready to look his best for her. He downs the bowl of pop infront of him, pauses his match on tv and adds it to watch later list and makes a dash to the bathroom. Oops. He just remembered the batteries on his trimmer were out and he can't have a trim. His beard , all unkempt and his attire , boasting of a spoilt boy of the city, he realizes he needs to do something quick to impress her. Smell - She likes Smell ! He throws the cell on the bed, zippity zap , enters the shower to a good lathering of Shruthi's favorite scented body wash. 5 minutes in the shower , he kicks the door open to reach for his cell to hit a popular Food-Ordering App. His hands still dripping wet and standing there with no dignity, he is unable to place an order. Goes back in, drapes in a messy towel wrap and starts recklessly ordering Shruthi's Spicy panneer roll snacks and Choco lava cake. Chooses the quickest delivery option available, confirms order and happily goes back in to complete his daily quota of ablutions. 

Shankar, meanwhile, moonlights as a Food delivery agent after working in a popular call center from 9-5. The earnings not really filling his pockets, Shankar had been living a very humble life, making tough sacrifices. One being, the inability to not eat the very own tasty aromatic dishes which he himself delivers for a living. His parents got separated after years of bickering and his Grand mother from his mother stayed with them. A Dialysis patient of the upper 70s , she had her own struggle and routine of cursing herself for being a burden to the family , dependent on food and washing . The struggle an old person goes through is not just physical , especially when they need hand-to-mouth care. Every day they cringe at themselves for being dependent on someone, unable to take care off themselves, however understanding or rebellious their progeny are. The lady had her last 3 dialysis treatments to be completed, the sessions were not so cheap and with the parents not pitching in due to their own war , Shankar was scraping the end of the barrel to make sure his granny hung around. He had completed all his deliveries on time , with good ratings and rarely gets treated to a Tip from a generous customer. He just received Nanda's order and he gets delighted to make some money, as  this final delivery will give him a monthly bonus and he can buy a nice pair of sandals for him apart from the expense of his granny's dialysis session. Get's into his uniform, a quick sip of water, mask , a hush of his deo and heads out to the restaurant, happy that the almighty looked out for him, in spite of the quandary he was caught in. 

The delivery takes more time, as the hotel suffers from a temporary power glitch and the staff got overworked, unable to prioritize the orders placed online and physically. Shankar frantically looks at the watch as the App had already committed a delivery time of 20 minutes for Nanda's order and here he was unable to do anything. He prepares a list of apologies mentally to tell Nanda, if the delivery time overshoots. And exactly as he feared, he was late by 10 minutes. Due to a masterstroke of evil fate, the mobile app suffered a glitch as well, where the delivery orders were not updated based on current status and the customers were not notified off delay in orders. It finally got done. He grabbed the parcel and invoice, rockets through the 6.00 evening office return traffic, arrives at Nanda's pad a good 20 minutes late. Meanwhile, he can hear a couple talking loudly, a young man trying to impress his girl with all romantic antics and also cussing the delivery agent every now and then. Just Shankar was secretly smiling to know that the customer was not pissed, when Nanda uttered some really bad words at the delivery agent because the order was delayed and his attempt to catch his girl by surprise, by giving her favorite dish bombed, Shankar's skin crawled. He almost felt his manhood drop when he had to endure the insult and crass talk by his customers. With great courage, he knocks and Nanda came out red with fury and literally wrinkles all over his face. He gives Shankar a good 5 minute earful , throwing the delivery charge and few extra 100 bucks at his face for his shabby delivery and bangs the door on Shankar's face. Shankar didn't even get a chance to explain himself, or request the formal "please leave a good rating" to the customer.  Just as he was about to return he receives a ping in his mobile , an alert message saying he got 2/5 ratings. His heart sank. He will miss his monthly bonus as he needed the 5 rating and that cash would have been really really helpful. Just as he was about to enter into a whirlpool of self pity, he just got reminded of the extra 100 bucks which Nanda had thrown at him and he instantly lit up to realize that it was sufficient enough for Granny's dialysis session for that week. He walks down , each step becoming heavier than the previous, as he comforts himself saying, that his next 10 happy customers will take care of the sandals which he was planning to buy. 

Nanda and Shankar were of same age. Both acted out of  urge - one to impress his girlfriend and another to take care of his granny. Both operated with money as medium. Both lost pride that day, Nanda , in front of his girlfriend ( as he fails to surprise her on time) and Shankar, for being yelled at . But, Shankar, obviously got the short end of the bargain here, and who's to blame? The restaurant ? The Electricity Board ? The Traffic on the road ? His granny , for being sick ? Fate ? There might be a a 1000 things that could have complicated the situation, but If Nanda had acted out of compassion, with a human heart, a controlled mind and a willingness to read the situation, Surely Shankar's struggles would have had a happy ending. The rating could have given him the bonus, the compassion could have encouraged Shankar for the humble service he was doing and at the end, his heart would have thanked the skies for being treated with kindness. All Human hearts respond to Kindness.

The other day, when I was strolling on the road at night for a casual walk, when I saw the different delivery vendors scurrying even on a national holiday, sacrificing on a public off, just with the intent of making some money by delivering someone's product to another - my heart just said one thing to me. Vignesh, Remember to be Kind, especially when you are disappointed. You never know. What we see is only one side of the coin. A happy friend of ours is hiding all the reasons he/she is unhappy, just to save face. Don't judge by the good they seem to enjoy once in a while. You never know what they are about to lose, or what they lost. Being Kind takes no effort. Just a Human Heart that works like a Human Heart. Be Kind - and the Universe will be Kinder to you . We are all here and each one's kindness is what keeps Earth from falling. 

On Your MARKS -Say What Again ?

 

Krishna's mom was making hot steaming dosas even as she held her son's science classwork in one hand asking him "what is earth made up of 75%" ? , as Krishna playfully while eating a cream biscuit replies "water" ! . The exercise continued for the next half an hour and Krishna answered all questions correctly for his science test due tomorrow. His mom, internally relieved and proud that she was being a good mother, went to bed with peace. The test got over and Krishna came home petrified, shaken and crying. His mom, rushing to his side, took him to the bathroom, cleaned him and invoked him why he was in such bad spirits, when he replied  : "Mom, I didnt do the test well today. I didn't know answers to half the question paper". Upon investigation, it was found that the test was for Chapter 2 & 3 , while the preparation during dinner time was only for Chapter 2. Shanthi ( the mother ) angry at him for being so careless, gave him a good earful for being careless, and then once she felt satisfied that she taught him a lesson, drew him closer and pacified him. Experiences like these continued, when Krishna, inevitably and unconsciously inferred a lesson on himself that it was a Great sin to fail, and Failure is Bad. He embraces Fear and is afraid to fail. 

He enters Middle School, when the rotting begins. Syllabus becomes tougher for parents to cope up, the children have to fend off for themselves and every class produces 2-3 bad boys in it (for lack of a better word , ideally no kid should be labelled) , who out of nowhere make poor choices in language, character and attitude. Innocent Sponge characters like Krishna, who even though with good potential, take to be inspired by repeating events, develop a habit or two from these kids. Their undoubting parents, sadly employ the same strategy on their children, oblivious of their kid's evolving age software and newer character viruses. Kids can't and won't tell what they are going through. As parents, they need to be invested 150%, work overtime and read their children so well, to make sure they can be guided gracefully. Beyond an age, old strategies fail abruptly and children tend to make swift movements into different directions. Krishna, this time had scored 3/25, failed in his math test which was being tutored by one Indra miss, very strict and fearful staff. Out of confusion and fear to not earn the wrath of his parents, he hid his test book under a dress shelf and didn't inform them of his marks. Parent teachers meeting comes and Shanthi comes to know off this and Krishna stayed at home, well aware, his butt was going to be toasted in the oven once mom returned. The same thing happened. Krishna, in the next tests, unwilling to put effort to learn the subject better, learns the evil art of copying from his intelligent friend's test note during exam , just like one of the bad boys in the class did and passes the test well with good scores. This rush of excitement of both doing something wrong , and getting good marks, begins to silently make him a liar. He embraces dishonesty . 

He enters high school, and over the years picks up great panache for art, creative skills such as play acting, oratory skills and he discovers how much he comes alive when he was allowed to perform, than go through examinations to show how much he can perform. His parents, who accumulated more ego in the fact that they are wiser by default because they have grown older,  fail to pick up signals from their son's increasing talent towards the Art side. He was performing at an average level, still, due to force of habit, had assumed Good Marks as sign of success. Truth be told, he didn't feel the adrenaline , the rush he got when he was on stage , as compared to getting high marks on a subject. He feels distraught, having been embroiled in a silent mental conundrum. None knew, his key to success. They just thrusted the locks, he had to open, when he had a totally different door to open and walk in. He accumulates feelings of Failure, an impression that he is a dimwit and that he didn't have it in him. Nothing is more pathetic than Unattended talent. 

He jumps over high school, in similar patterns, volunteering for speeches, seminars, plays, essay writings , poster decorations and sketching artworks,  while he was making sure he scored above passing marks to not be branded a Weak student. Little did he know that he was about to enter the dangerous tunnel of "Beta, What are you going to be - Engineer or Doctor or Accountant"? . He hears tons of wisdom from relatives and friends and neighbors, who play the important role of career coaches especially at a time when they shouldn't and end up guilting the child into thinking it was wrong to pursue something that they were naturally good at, which also can be made as a career with some more effort. He embraces "acceptance of circumstances under wrong contexts and gives up his true gifts to fill up his wallets.". 

What are we teaching our children ? To never ever fail ? To always be on the top  , grade wise? To think that extra curricular activities are not career worthy, no matter how good we are at it ? When are we going to learn to unplug from outdated thinking patterns ? If only, the people responsible for a child's schooling days had made better choices,  the world would have seen more passionate talented people, who won from their heart and didn't allow failure to hit their heart. But what happens on a real time scenario ? Just because the neighbor's Lilly bloomed white in color, the seeds that you sowed in the soil had to bring out only white flowers. Any other color is wrong. We need to understand that the word "success" is being redefined by the second and is expanding like the vast universe we are living in. Sex tapes make celebrities. Social services create celebrities. Sports and music, dance and drama, language and numbers, all have potential to touch stardom. Success has become a wall and it can be reached from any angle.  

I am not suggesting, the only way to do something is to excel at it and if you are not a celebrity, you have to jump into the river. I am driving the message that, anyone can pull a rabbit out of their thinking hats if only the hat was allowed to stay with them. If somebody comes and says, you are holding the hat wrongly, you should not hold this hat, your hat is of the wrong color, no magic can help that magician. If we all , each and every one of us, allowed ourselves to live a life true to ourselves, by doing things we were good at, things that made us feel good, competition will not be seen as an external negative risk , but as an internal positive trait. Competition to be better than someone will not be the goal. Competition will be to be hold on to one's own ethics, beliefs, thoughts and talent, no matter how testing the waters around us are. 

If we find some kid, struggling to express what they truly want, let us encourage them to intelligently, gracefully, execute their talents towards achievable goals, in a way, they fulfil their duties towards their parents, nurture their talents and enjoy the life they are given. Let us not snatch any kid's hat, nor set up flag posts for them to chase. That is their decision to make. Let us not force a child into Patterns that don't serve their higher purpose. In this pandemic, when education, way of teaching and learning has abruptly been redefined, let us spend quality time with the kids and children, understand their callings and put that time and effort honestly with full confidence that they will turn out good, instead of making them take the same bus in which we travelled. Arise. Awake. 

Natural Living With Nature - An Anthological Narration

 

Shylaja had returned from the Europe to her mother's home , a humble but comfortable haven for a satisfied middle class family of the Vinod household. Her son , Ravi was a bubbly catch , aged around 9 years old who was given a whole lecture of how to conduct himself in his grand mommy's home. It was his responsibility to take out the kitchen waste everyday before he went out to play. For some strange reason, Ravi emptied the kitchen trash onto a lay of soil beside the parking lot everyday in contrast to his mom's understanding that he was putting them all into the trash can. It was monsoon season and nature was juggling the weather switch between casual showers and conscious sunshine. Weeks passed when one day he saw something strange happening in the place of his dump - a long bitter guard vine with cute yellow flowers. It somehow caught his interest and he began to observe it everyday. The shrewd boy he was, he learnt that these vines require some stems, sticks to be raised from ground level and so he began placing broken stems, thin wires and pipes helping the plant expand into a generous web of green wonder. It was his birthday next month. Days went by, his birthday came and when he went to give chocolate to the ground floor kid, he let out an ecstatic shriek, much to the stunned Shylaja, who rushed to his side trying to not imagine the worst. The cup of chocolates had spilled, Ravi appeared to be emotional but he was jumping in joy. Still unclear, she went and touched all over his body for wounds when Ravi goes - "Mom, I became a Plant dad today. Look at the many spiny bitter guard bulbs in the vine. They are all my babies. My plant babies. I nurtured them. Nature helped me. See how many are hung." . It was the dawn of a new wisdom in Shylaja and Ravi's life. 

A few blocks away from the Vinod's flat was the tall mammoth "Anugraha". A spacious flat with amenities similar to that off a villa in an otherwise average street. Housing just 3 families in the 3 floors, one can imagine the luxury each house commanded, with all the sprawling space and large living area. In the 3rd floor lived one love smitten teen , Rishi. A Handsome rich boy, all keen and ready to enter his adult years, trying to woo girls and win guys with his charm and deep pockets. But he was left bruised recently over Kanya, who didn't accept his proposal. Rishi used to spend a lot of time in the balcony looking at the Coconut, Banana and Neem trees, beautifully making love with each other, housing different souls such as crows, squirrels and even swans and eagles at times. In times of personal melancholic phases, one does search for all options to revive themselves and ironically Rishi found his Happy trigger, sipping cola and looking at the trees and breathing in the oxygen out of the trees. His mood lifted over the days, his routine of listening to some bamboo flute music, perched in a balcony wooden jhoola observing the nature until that day when he got a call from his childhood friend Pranav. At first he was immensely happy to know Pranav is in town, an equally rich kid and that he was considering moving to a place very near Rishi's. Pranav kept describing his project, of how his house was going to be built next to Rishi's , what amenities he was planning, his terrace and basement plans and suddenly said a sentence that nosedived Rishi's Excitement. Pranav declared "And one thing dude, since those trees were occupying vital property space, we have found a contractor who will help us cut down the trees, help us expand and create a  community space instead with a park and pool. You and me can enjoy swimming and casual jogs everyday. Aren't you excited Rishiii ?!!!!" Rishi cut the call in shock and put the phone in flight mode, unable to process the impact of what he just heard.

Countless stories can be narrated like this, where a person may not be an environmentalist or a Nature Police, but nature proves to be a lifesaver, a life changer. Take my own case for instance. We have a Tulsi plant which me and Dad tried hard to sprout. We put in many seeds, manure and kept looking at it and nothing seemed to come for many days. Until one day, when green saplings sprouted over the surface of the pot and slowly, but steadily it grew into a complex but majestic Tulsi plant , beyond the capacity of the pot. Our family took great joy in watching the plant everyday, my mother offering her prayers everyday, me just admiring the plant with satisfied pride every time I was at the terrace. Until, the fateful month came, when Father left us and we totally couldn't take care of the plant for various reasons. The sun did a number on the plant and it totally withered away, dried and parched. I was obviously sad, but recent incidents have taught me to accept destiny's dramas. But my hard time didn't last long, when Chennai started experiencing generous July showers and this combination of night showers and Day sunshine has brought back the same Tulsi plant that apparently left us briefly. It stuns me, how magically Mother nature looked out for herself, understanding our position and now there are so many young green leaves out of the same dried stalk. From my eyes, I see this as Dad's Love coming back again. The plant we nurtured has taken a rebirth making me blissful every time I go up to see how it's growing. 

Nature has only made way for us. Let us not create a scenario out of our erratic unmonitored way of living life pushing nature to take an imperious stand against humanity. So many suffering due to lack of quality air, so many rushing to Ayurveda for natural herbal products both edible and non edible. Why do something and then regret it. Use water wisely, Consider Civil projects cautiously, Preserve Road cleanliness responsibly and be mindful of what your actions do to the environment. 

Let's never forget the fact that we are here for a temporary period and let us not make a permanent damage for the generations to come. 

When Destiny Gifted My Father to the Gods

Never did I imagine I had something so precious that even the god's envied so much, that they felt that I have enjoyed it enough. No time is right enough to lose a parent. After taking colorful tablets with different chemical compositions and using different colored hand sanitizers and floor cleaners , fate caught up with me when it took the most colorful man of my life from me , my Father. 

Looking back a few days ago , little did I know that life found it fair to mix him with plain air.  The thought of it which, has gripped my mental space with such shock that I genuinely think I have lost the ability to emote. A gentle featherlike person, man of few words , few smiles but a large heart, me and my father share a lot of personality differences in how we see life, people, interests , likes and choices but by mercy of the nature's gene pool department, I have inherited many of his admirable qualities which can only be read in self-help books these days. He was born that way, he was born the way the self-help books describe how to lead a peaceful contented life amidst thorny situations. It hurts to think that the many conversations where I spoke to him in childlike anger out of belief that he will always be there with me, you know taking him for granted as though he has no other purpose than to be my father, those conversations can't be reversed. Not a word of my frustration or anger stuck on to him as he always woke up the next day blemishless as though nothing happened the previous day. 

I took all the precautions one can take, from using face masks , gloves , cleaning using soaps, cleansers , taking herbal decoctions , vitamin supplements , steam inhalations and a lot of prayer but destiny took a decision that stunned all my best efforts. Clearly, the larger truth won over me and my family, as we stand today having lost a branch that was so silently always there but never prominently shaking its leaves or making a show off its fruits. It's surprising how a man of such few words can create such an impact with his absence and it shows, no amount of words spoken or deeds done can match the presence one can make in a family when they are acting out of love. Everywhere I look I have a memory of him, my eyes refuse to let go , my heart refuses to churn. I think father wants me to realize that he is all the more closely wrapped around me than before. 

It was the toughest 3 weeks of my life as I never knew a hospital admission will lead to a graveyard cremation. The doctor who came out and spoke those words with such rehearsed Doctor like fashion, with no emotion , reporting that I no longer have someone to call daddy. Looking at the man who moved all his life making sure I stood, lie motionless , is a sight I am trying to so hard to erase from my mind . Most pathetic thing is to not even be near him , touch him or do anything and be a mere witness to what they did with my man's physical form. As humans we want that touch, that expression, but it was an experience like that of a young fawn being snatched by a tiger as the mother deer helplessly looked at it all happen. I think I need a very strong replacement vision , something powerful enough to overpower these sights to help me tame my mind and heart. 

I stand today, a failure against destiny, which I still believe knows the larger Good, the bigger picture. Atleast, I could have prepared myself to be more kind to him, more respectful to him, more understanding and more expressive to him, and not take him for granted . Looking at my mother , in her new role, is another heart wrenching sight that a traditionally inclined person will find it extremely bitter to digest. Losing a parent and losing a partner are two different experiences, but when it happens , the impact is two fold.  The wails, the cries of emotions, the grim reality of the situation has taken me for a ride, I certainly have had something change from within that I could have never done to myself. 

With the help of my uncles (his brothers) , maternal relatives, my cousins, who copiously lamented that they were not able to be there physically due to the nature of his passing away ( Cov19+cardiac) , I managed to hold on. Wherever I looked, I could only see sympathetic eyes raining on me and my family. Being a mentally positive person, I am not sure how I have handled this missile that attacked my core, but I am trying to do the right thing one day at a time. I have lost the temptation to make plans even for the next day, as this slap from destiny has reminded me, I am powerless against it . 

Even challenging is to be brave to go out once again, in public, as I am still unclear how I tested positive and how father himself contacted it.  Clueless as to where the loose end was, where the gap was , where I lost attention stings me. Hearing someone cough or sneeze or to even physically go near someone itself is so repelling that I just want to spray at everyone and wear 3 layers of clothes and burn them off once I come back home. I am not a person who gets paranoid , I try to guide my reasoning even under turbulent seas, but the lack of clarity of how all this happened, where what went wrong and how can I ever be confident again continues to torment me. I never imagined I will go through an experience like this, but life just dragged me through this experience, unmindful to check if I had braced myself or not. I just have to trust the universe, with the belief that the larger eye knows the larger truth which these 2 eyes may not always understand. 

The God's are lucky to have my father with them now as my chance got over. 

This dark cloud called the pandemic seems to have an unending appetite until it sees enough misery. Looks like we can't take shelter in our goodness, assuming we won't be hit or even make the mistake to think that we are the ones that will be spared, as clearly this is an impartial attack on humanity with no said target or time of attack. Let us still be careful, compassionate and humble in front of Life, take care of our parents, whatever family that is left with us,  and try to be responsible, to our self, our family and the society. 

May life be kind to all of us,

Being a Mother during the Pandemic

May , is the month that begins on a day commemorating the Workers , on the May day and Mother's day , a few days later . A Mother of all people is associated with workmanship often due to her different roles and engagements she takes up voluntarily along with the ones that were thrust on her. But in this uncertain time of pandemic , being a mother takes double the effort and more, especially if they have young children. So, here is a narration describing a day in the life of one of those mothers. 

It was another day in the life of matriarch Janani and her daughter Priya. Janani had planned a visit to her parents house for a long time and there was never an ideal time to visit across the states due to the pandemic. After some jumpy discussions with her partner, Janani managed to fly down to her birth home for some catching up. Love flowed between the mother and the daughter, as the young Priya was surrounded by pampering from all sides. Kids, have a power that we miss to observe. Whenever there is a new kid on the block, somehow they get a signal and end up knocking on the new kid's house with a mischievous smile inviting them to play. Priya looked at her mom, who approved the play and reminded her to wear the mask and stay clear of the road and bushes. Standard mummy advice. Two days passed, Janani strained her neck and ears to monitor what's happening in the basement, while she herself was being monitored by her own mother. The Mom gene never leaves the body. That night, Priya appeared dull and was even more stubborn to take any food. In a fit of temper, when Janani was about to slap her on the face, but instantly with amazing restraint and motherly intuition she stopped herself midway to touch the forehead of Priya to find it burning. Janani froze from within. She quickly dropped the clothes on her lap, asked for a thermometer to confirm if she had fever. Adding to the dismay, Priya feebly muttered she had a funny feeling on her throat and she was having mild headache. Janani became a combination of anger and intense worry, as she told her mother of the observation. Rakesh, Janani's brother immediately gave an advise to isolate her and Priya into the master bedroom for the larger good. Both their parents were senior citizens and Rakesh had to look out for the entire house, even as he was heating a vessel of hot water with turmeric, eucalyptus oil and vicks. 

The family, silently having their worries in the head, didn't voice out their thoughts in the fear of not being the one to cause disharmony and initiate chaos. They all suspected if it was the damned pandemic disease but none uttered it in word. Janani made frantic calls to her husband, who lived in another state and they exchanged opinions for the next course of action. Calls were made to a good natured doctor, a child specialist who they knew from their home state. He assured them, that even it was indeed the worst, nothing to worry as it's impact in kids were usually not disastrous. He sent a prescription of antibiotics, fever abating medicines, immunity boosters over whatsapp. The news on tv was blaring out news item after news item saying how many deaths and sob stories were going on. Rakesh shouted at his father to switch channel to something non pandemic. The medicines were not immediately available and once Rakesh procured them, it was around noon. 

Priya was administered her first dose of medicines and began to feel tired. She slept like a baby she was. The other kids from the neighborhood kept knocking why Priya was not coming out to play all of a sudden, when the family had to lie on the face of the kids saying she had homework, she had an upset stomach. They were careful to not cause fear in the minds of the other parents. Night happened, when Priya goes, "I don't get the smell of the vicks or turmeric you have put in the hot water." She said she only got the hot vapor and no smell. Janani hugged Priya tight by the head and said all will be fine. Rakesh stood at the door wearing a mask and praying that Janani herself doesn't get infected with whatever nonsense Priya was going through. Janani's mother began to worry for both the granddaughter and her husband, who was a cardiac patient. It was too much to handle. Unpredictability of what's about to happen caused tension in the house. Each one slept in a different room. The mother-daughter duo slept and lived in a separate room while food and essentials were placed from outside. 3 days went, when the fever, which was on-off began to come down and Priya became more and more stable when Janani heard a strange voice. Rakesh, began to speak different and she could see Rakesh was developing a throat infection. It was confirmed when he had occasional bouts of cough and sneeze. 

Rakesh's mother now got a new worry and the whole protocol followed again. Tension prevailed in the house, as Priya was getting better and Rakesh began to show cause of worry. Janani, by great mental strength and selfless love, took such good care of her daughter, even as she was frustrated of how a vacation she wanted was spoiled, and she had to be the mother without a break, even as her own mother had to play mother to Janani. Rakesh began to sleep separately, took steam, and the usual immunity boosting medicines, throat gargles etc. The whole family was in silent panic. On the 4th day, Rakesh seemed to talk normal , and his mother was visibly relieved. None from the family bothered to investigate what actually happened, as they took utmost precautions from within, with great courage and faith in the divine. Things began to become normal and it was just 3 days short of Janani's vacation plan when her husband called her up alerting that a lockdown was expected in their state and she better hurry and not wait till original vacation plan. Her mother, reoriented herself to the plan. She started preparing the goodbye gifts, even as Janani was looking up tickets and it was settled that she will leave the next day itself on a day train. The packing and last minute chitchats happened hastily. Janani left the next day, as the house became normal and they switched on the TV to hear the same stories from news channels.

A mother never gets a break as, she has to dole out continuous stream of care towards her family , like a tireless worker at any time. Her role is indeed respectable, fit to be worshipped and has no retirement. The next time we get into an argument, let us summon the strength to be the first one to calm down, instead of climbing on top of each other fight after fight. Because, one day she might not have the energy and you might not have a mother to fight with. Love and understand , the epitome of workmanship and Love , motherhood is all about!